| Fletton | |
|---|---|
 St Margaret's Church, Old Fletton | |
  Fletton Location within Cambridgeshire | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PETERBOROUGH |
| Postcode district | PE2 |
| Dialling code | 01733 |
Fletton is an area of the city of Peterborough, in the Peterborough district, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England, south of the River Nene.
Notable for its large brickworks, the area has given its name to "Fletton bricks". [1]
Lying south of the River Nene, the area was historically part of Huntingdonshire (although not the present district of that name), rather than the Soke of Peterborough in Northamptonshire. It was divided into Old Fletton, which prior to the Local Government Act 1972 formed a separate town with its own council (Old Fletton Urban District) and New Fletton which, from 1874, was administered as part of Peterborough Municipal Borough. Some maps still show New Fletton (on the south bank of the river) as well as Old Fletton (further to the south) with the boundary at Fletton Spring. In 1891 the parish had a population of 2194. [2] In 1894 the parish of Fletton was split into "Fletton Rural" and "Fletton Urban". [3] On 1 April 1938 Fletton Rural was renamed "Fletton". [4] In 1961 the (Rural) parish had a population of 11,677. [5] On 1 April 1974 the parish was abolished.
In 1965, the administrative counties of Huntingdonshire and the Soke of Peterborough amalgamated as Huntingdon and Peterborough and, in 1974, Fletton became part of the Peterborough district of non-metropolitan Cambridgeshire. [6] In 1998, the city became a unitary authority area, but it continues to form part of Cambridgeshire for ceremonial purposes. [7] Fletton falls within North West Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency.
The sub-soil is Oxford clay, the character of which led to the establishment of large brickworks which were economical to excavate. The area gave its name to the Fletton Brick Company and to Fletton Brick in the 19th century, when a large area of land was sold to investors; this eventually became the London Brick Company, now owned by Forterra plc. The dominance of London Brick in the market during this period gave rise to some of the country's best known landmarks, built using the ubiquitous Flettons. [8]
During the 1950s the requirement for workers in the brick industry was far greater than the numbers available locally, and as a result many Italians—initially housed in the old prisoner of war camps and in barracks and hostels belonging to the company—were recruited from the impoverished southern regions of Apulia and Campania. By 1960, approximately 3,000 Italian men were employed by London Brick, mostly at the Fletton works. [9] Very soon after the first men had arrived, they were followed by around 2,000 Italian women, some of whom worked alongside the men, whilst others worked in sectors such as clothing, rubber, ceramics, food processing, agriculture and the National Health Service. Consequently, Fletton has a significant Italian population today. The Fleet complex, off the High Street, has been managed by the Italian Community Association since it opened in 1985 [10] and accommodates the Italian honorary consul for Peterborough. [11]
Historically, diesel manufacturers, Perkins Engines (previously Joseph Farrow & Co.'s canning factory) and Bennie Lifts (later Kone) also gave work to a large number of people locally. Elliot Medway, manufacturers of mobile classrooms, occupied a site on Glebe Road until its demolition in 2008, to make way for regeneration of the south bank.
The Church of England parish church, situated on Fletton Avenue, is dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch. [12] [13] Although in the Diocese of Ely, it has been placed under the pastoral care of the Bishop of Peterborough, acting as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Ely. [14] [15] St Margaret's Church is a Grade I listed building. [16]
Fletton cemetery, also on Fletton Avenue, opened for burials in 1893. [17] The former Italian Catholic mission church of Saint Anthony (San Antonio) was run by the Scalabrini Fathers for many years. [18]
Old Fletton County Primary School is located in the area; secondary pupils attend nearby Stanground Academy and Nene Park Academy in Orton Longueville.
Late 19th century maps show Fletton Spring rising in the west of the area (in what is now Orton Goldhay); since the development of the area the first sign of the spring is near Celta Road but it soon disappears underground, re-emerging near Fletton Fields, before being fenced in again and eventually merging with Stanground Lode in the east.
Peterborough United F.C. play at the London Road Stadium in Fletton.
158 (Royal Anglian) Transport Regiment (Volunteers), Royal Logistic Corps is headquartered at the Territorial Army centre on London Road. [19]
The Fletton Quays development comprises 6.4 hectares of previously derelict land and vacant buildings between the river and the Peterborough–March railway line.
Peterborough is a cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district of Cambridgeshire, England. The city and its surroundings, the Soke of Peterborough, had an independent county council between 1889 and 1965. It formed part of the short-lived Huntingdon and Peterborough between 1965 and 1974. Before 1889, it was a liberty of Northamptonshire.
Huntingdonshire is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England. It was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the east, South Cambridgeshire to the south-east, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford to the south-west, and North Northamptonshire to the west.
Eye is a village in the unitary authority area of Peterborough, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The village is 4.5 miles (7 km) south from Crowland. The hamlet of Eye Green is 1⁄2 mile to the north, separated by the A47 trunk road.
The City of Peterborough, commonly known as Peterborough, is a unitary authority district with city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The area is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough but also covers a wider area of outlying villages and hamlets.
The Soke of Peterborough is a historic area of England associated with the City and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire. The Soke was also described as the Liberty of Peterborough, or Nassaburgh hundred, and comprised, besides Peterborough, about thirty parishes.
The Diocese of Peterborough forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. Its seat is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, which was founded as a monastery in AD 655 and re-built in its present form between 1118 and 1238.
Stanground is a residential area of Peterborough, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. For electoral purposes, it comprises the Stanground South and Fletton & Stanground wards in the North West Cambridgeshire constituency.
A civil parish is a country subdivision, forming the lowest unit of local government in England. There are 264 civil parishes in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, most of the county being parished; Cambridge is completely unparished; Fenland, East Cambridgeshire, South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire are entirely parished. At the 2001 census, there were 497,820 people living in the parishes, accounting for 70.2 per cent of the county's population.
North West Cambridgeshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2005 by Shailesh Vara of the Conservative Party. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Peterborough is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom since 2019 by Paul Bristow of the Conservative Party.
Abbotsley is a village and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. It is three miles from St Neots and 14 miles from the county town of Cambridge. At the time of the 2001 census, the resident population was 425 people living in 164 households. increasing to a population of 446 at the 2011 Census.
Wansford is a village straddling the City of Peterborough and Huntingdonshire districts in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. It had a population of 506 at the 2021 Census. It is situated 7 miles (11 km) west of Peterborough and 8 miles (13 km) miles south of Stamford. It is close to the county boundary with both Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. The village is also located close to the A1 road and was on the route of the original Great North Road before the modern A1 was built. The village has since been bypassed by the A1 but the former Great North Road still exists through the village.
Farcet is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Farcet lies approximately 2 miles (3 km) south of Peterborough city centre, between Yaxley and the Peterborough suburb of Old Fletton. Farcet is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England.
Stanground North is an unparished area in the Peterborough district, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The 2001 census recorded a population of zero. The parish, which covered open fields on a flood plain of the River Nene.
Old Fletton was an urban district in the county of Huntingdonshire and then Huntingdon and Peterborough. The urban district was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and now forms part of the city of Peterborough in Cambridgeshire.
Thorney was a rural district in England from 1894 to 1974, situated to the east of Peterborough.
Woodston is a largely residential and industrial area of the city of Peterborough, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. For electoral purposes, it forms part of Fletton ward in North West Cambridgeshire constituency. Oundle Road runs through most of Woodston into the Ortons.
Peterborough City Council is the local authority for Peterborough in the East of England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The City was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1874; from 1888, it fell within the jurisdiction of the Soke of Peterborough county council and from 1965, Huntingdon and Peterborough county council. In 1974, it was replaced by a wholly new non-metropolitan district, broadly corresponding to the Soke, in the new enlarged Cambridgeshire. In 1998, Peterborough became independent of Cambridgeshire as a unitary authority, but the city continues to form part of that county for ceremonial purposes as defined by the Lieutenancies Act 1997.
Nene Park Academy is a secondary academy school in Peterborough. The school was renamed in September 2011 when it converted to an academy upon joining Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT). A new £15 million academy building was opened by Professor Robert Winston in February 2014. The academy's sponsorship by CMAT means it is partnered with the highly rated Swavesey Village College. Nene Park Academy is also home to Peterborough United Football Club's Youth Training Academy, and a partnership has been developed with the club.
Pondersbridge is a village in Whittlesey civil parish, part of the Fenland district of Cambridgeshire, England. Pondersbridge is essentially a settlement which has built up around the river crossing, situated on an artificial drainage cutting called Bevill's Leam. The banks of Bevill's Leam form a strong visual boundary. The older settlement has been extended on the Main Road, north-wards by the local authority housing. The settlement has very limited services and a sporadic development pattern. The main part of Pondersbridge is contained within a triangle of roads - the B1040, the B1095 and The Drove.